Damien Kerner; Reflection
The intention of our project was to shed light on a few of the many dishes that originated in the Latinx community. While researching, I was frequently taken aback by the dishes we discovered. I was shocked to learn that Caesar salad and the pumpkin spice latte are native to Mexico; however, I was more shocked that I had fallen victim to an improper way of thinking without even knowing.
My experience during the production process often reminded me of “Splicing the Sonic Color Line”. More specifically, it made me reflect deeper on the consequences of mentally associating “whiteness” with normality. In our class discussion of the passage, we touched on the way in which “normal” behavior is considered “white”. One example from class explained how noisiness was often associated with Hispanic families in New York City; and thus, a quiet Hispanic family would be perceived to be acting “white”. The discussion then explored how the same associations are made for apparel: Latinos in New York City can often be identified by their clothing; however, if the clothing is considered normal by American culture, the wearer risks the accusation of “dressing white”.
It’s this recurring idea that embracing American culture (by which I mean societal “normalcy” within the US) is the same as assimilating to “whiteness” that I recognized in my research. However, in the instance of our project, it was happening in the opposite direction. It was American culture embracing something else, the pumpkin spice latte or Caesar salad, and forcefully incorporating it into “whiteness”. This project was significant for me because it revealed that these two issues share the same psychology. In one instance, you have the imposition of “whiteness” on a person. To say someone is acting or dressing or speaking in a “white” manner while also rejecting them if they refuse to surrender to such practices is a forceful stripping of culture.
On the other hand, you have the imposition of “whiteness” on an object or an idea. This is the instance that is explored by our project. In this process, something new is introduced to American culture. If it is widely accepted, it becomes normalized, and over time the object or idea will lose its former cultural identity and become “white”. This is then the forceful acquisition of culture. That is how the pumpkin spice latte, whose cultural origins are unknown to most, has now become the epitome of “whiteness”. At least in the context of millennial humor.
After reflecting on this, our project seemed to combat that process by informing others about the forgotten origins of these dishes. This is what gave rise to the title of our restaurant, “Where Credit is Due”. The goal of sharing these origin stories reminded me of the platicars we learned about in class. Platicars have become ingrained in Latinx culture by preserving family history through stories. We aim to preserve culinary history through the same methods. Sharing these origin stories with the class is very similar to our own platicar and the discussion of names. The short and informal descriptions of each menu item take the place of our classmates around the table, each with their own story.